Defensive coordinators around the SEC have spent months trying to slow Ahmad Hardy. Few have figured it out.
Missouri’s sophomore running back became the program’s latest national finalist Tuesday, earning a spot in the three-man field for the 2025 Doak Walker Award, given to college football’s top running back.
Hardy, who arrived in Columbia without much national fanfare, has turned into one of the most punishing runners in the country. His 1,403 rushing yards rank second in the FBS and his 6.6 yards per carry reflect both his burst through the hole and his ability to finish runs. But the most telling numbers speak to contact and what happens afterward; Hardy has generated 983 yards after contact and forced 77 missed tackles, both near the top of the national leaderboard.
His defining moment so far came against Mississippi State on Nov. 15, when he gashed the Bulldogs for 300 yards in a 49-27 win. The performance made him just the sixth player in SEC history to hit that mark and cemented his spot among the most productive backs in the conference this season.
With two games left on Missouri’s schedule, Hardy already sits fifth on the program’s single-season rushing list. He’s 225 yards shy of Cody Schrader’s school record and three touchdowns away from tying the single-season touchdown mark shared by Brad Smith and Bob Steuber.
Hardy joins Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy as finalists. His selection marks the third time in the past five seasons a Missouri running back has reached this stage, following Schrader in 2023 and Tyler Badie in 2021.
The winner of the Doak Walker Award will be announced on Dec. 12 during the Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN.
Luper nominated for Broyles Award
Missouri running backs coach Curtis Luper was named a nominee for the Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coach, with fan voting now open as part of the selection process.
Since joining Eli Drinkwitz’s staff in 2019, Luper has been a key architect of Mizzou's resurgence in the run game, developing multiple high-production backs and helping establish one of the SEC’s most physical ground attacks.
Under his guidance, the Tigers have produced three different 1,000-yard rushers in the last five seasons, including Cody Schrader’s record-setting 2023 campaign and sophomore Ahmad Hardy’s breakout year in 2025.
Luper, who previously coached at the likes of Oklahoma State, Auburn and TCU, has built a reputation as one of the top running backs developers in the country.
The Broyles Award, named after former Mizzou head coach Frank Broyles, has been awarded annually since 1966, with this year introducing a fan-voting component alongside the traditional selection committee.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.